The 2015 International Property Rights Index

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Property Rights Alliance (PRA) is proud to announce the November 16 release date of the 2015 International Property Rights Index (IPRI), the world’s only index entirely dedicated to the measurement of intellectual and physical property rights. This year the 2015 report represents 99 percent of world GDP and 94 percent of world population. The Index will be officially presented on November 16, 2015 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, hosted by the Southeast Asia Network for Development (SEANET).

The full report will be available at www.internationalpropertyrightsindex.org.

This year, 92 international organizations, from 65 countries, partnered with the PRA in Washington, D.C. and its Hernando De Soto Fellowship program to produce the eighth annual IPRI. The study was authored by Prof. Sary Levy-Carciente, who served as this year’s Hernando De Soto Fellow.

The Index will provide an important source of information for policymakers and business communities who want to understand how the three core components of property rights systems (Legal and Political Environment; Physical Property Rights; Intellectual Property Rights) are protected or affected in the world:

The IPRI emphasizes the great economic differences between countries with strong property rights and those without. Nations in the top quintile such as Finland, Norway and New Zealand enjoy an average national GDP per capita of $44,542.82 while nations in the second quintile have an average GDP per capita of $23,786.34. The third, fourth, and fifth quintile averages are $11,086.53, $3,377.99 and $1,880.94 respectively.

The United States came in 2nd in North America and 15th in the world, with a 0.1 decrease in its overall IPRI score to 7.7 out of 10.0. According to the report, the U.S. decreased in the sub index for Legal and Political Environment and the sub index for Physical Property Rights, while the sub index for Intellectual Property Rights remained the same.

This year the Index also presents eight case studies on the status of property rights including:

Peru – The Hidden History of the Defeat of the Shining Path By Hernando De Soto;

Brazil – Reflections on the Social Function of Property in Brazil By Wagner Lenhart;

Turkey – Understanding the Future of Political Reform in Turkey By Dr. Buğra Kalkan;

“The 2015 IPRI emphasizes the necessity of property rights for creating a free market and driving economic growth” said Lorenzo Montanari, Executive Director of the Property Rights Alliance, “but we also recognize that property rights are first of all a matter of human rights. Property rights are directly related to the values and principles of individual liberty. The special case studies in this year’s edition demonstrate the importance of property rights for women and the poor in developing countries. This year data was available in countries where it was previously not, which is a good sign for future improvement. There are now 129 countries included in the analysis, up from 97 countries in last year’s edition. Countries that had strong property rights systems experienced significantly higher GDP per capita. In the EU, for example, IP accounts for 26 percent of employment and 39 percent of GDP. Societies undoubtedly achieve greater societal development by protecting property rights of authors, entrepreneurs, artists, innovators and inventors.”

Published annually since 2007, the IPRI was the first international comparative study to measure the significance of both physical and intellectual property rights and their protection for economic well-being.

The International Property Rights Index will provide researchers and policymakers around the world with a tool for comparative analysis and future research on global property rights. The Index seeks to assist underperforming countries to develop robust economies through an emphasis on sound property law.